Using saltwater nose rinses for colds and sinus infections doesn't seem to help adults much, according to studies comparing it to other treatments.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

20

Saline nasal irrigation for acute upper respiratory tract infections.

Systematic Review

2010 Mar 17

The study looked at using saltwater nose rinses for colds and found they might help a little, but mostly didn't make a big difference compared to other treatments. This matches what the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

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Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Saline nasal irrigation for acute upper respiratory tract infections.

Score: 20

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006821.pub2

Similar Assertions

Using saltwater nose rinses might help you get over a cold about a third of a day faster, but the study wasn't sure if this small difference was real luck or just chance.

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